Originally Posted by
AlanK
While QR are fine, the TAs are durable and simple, which I prefer. Sure some of it is marketing, but QR were originally designed for racing so wheel could be changed quickly. That's obviously not a concern for most riders.
The Sutra wheels seem significantly better as well. They're decent quality 36 spoke Formula hubs with WTB rims, while the Giramondo only has 32 spokes with generic hubs and rims (Brev M? WTF is that?).
The Giramondo does have better gear ratios for loaded touring. I actually wish Masi would've left off the racks and spec'd the bike a little better for about the same price. The reality is many people buy these bikes mainly for commuting and only tour occasionally so letting the rider select their own racks makes sense.
Yes, I know, QR are the most complicated things to operate, it takes me over 4 hours just to open one, then I have to figure out how to close it which has taken me another 4 hours, whew.
You realize that the WTB ST wheels that you have are not sold on WTB website? That's because they are a very low end wheels set just like the Brev M's are and are packaged wheelsets meaning they get packaged as OEM with bicycles, and those WTB wheels came with the bottom of the barrel Formula hubs which are also on my wheels, they just renamed them Brev M. And since the Brev M wheel is more aero than the MTB ST's they don't need as many spokes, I gone bikepacking on them with about a total of 280 pounds (including camping stuff, bike, and me) and the wheels never needed truing. Brev M is a component product line of Masi and is an actual brand. So both of our wheelsets are nothing to write home about.